Zagharta

Going to Lebanon is such a personal experience I am not sure how to
express it. I have dreamed about going to Lebanon for over a decade,
and have searched online since 2004. Last summer I spent 12 days,
my goal for this year was to visit the town that my family originates.
The journey unfolds little by little. When asked where my family is
from, I would say Tripoli. This spring my Great Aunt Joanie told me
it’s actually a town outside Tripoli called Zagharta. On my way North
to Zagharta a friend asked do you know what area exactly in Zagharta
they lived – I laughed and told him I will find out this for my next
trip. This makes more sense since it’s a Maronite Christian town while
Tripoli is more Muslim. I took a picture by the town sign. I walked
around and pretended to find the places they left (a home & church)
and we continued to make stories. I told them I that my grandmother
spoke about a river that she would go to when she was a child. So they
took me to the small river outside of town I took a few minutes to say
a small prayer. I am not sure what to think that I am the only family
member to set foot in Lebanon since my great grandmother Sadie last
visited in the late 60s. I feel them with me at several points in my
journey. I wonder what I am doing here, why I am even here, and as
I told my cousin Chloe, is my life supposed to change now that I have
been to the river? She told me I sounded like I was reading the gospel.

The rest of this Lebanon trip will follow at another point.